USA, OH: Mellotone Beer Project wants to introduce totally new brewery concept to Cincinnati

Cincinnati has no shortage of breweries. Visit Cincy, the area's convention and tourism bureau, estimates there are more than 80 across the region, Cincinnati Enquirer reported on October 16.

But a Rhinegeist Brewery veteran and a Cincinnati newcomer are on a mission to achieve the unthinkable: They want to introduce a totally new brewery concept to the city.

Dennis Kramer-Wine is the former director of culture and founding director of distribution at Rhinegeist. Alexandra Nowell was a founding brewmaster at the prominent Los Angeles craft brewery Three Weavers Brewing Co. They are now proud co-owners of Mellotone Beer Project and a "power couple that's going to be a force," Kramer-Wine says.

Mellotone is taking over the old St. Paul's German Evangelical Protestant Church building at 1429 Race St., where Taft's Ale House resided from 2015 until its closure in November 2023.

The brewery's origin story began when Nowell made the move from Los Angeles to Covington in 2022 to be closer to family. Thanks to the "close and tight-knit" nature of the brewing industry, Nowell said, she already had a professional relationship with Kramer-Wine and was familiar with his work at Rhinegeist.

She and Kramer-Wine had known each other for over a decade at that point, Nowell said.

The idea of opening a brewery in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood felt like a natural choice after her many years working in the Los Angeles urban brewery scene, she said. Turns out, the choice was a natural one for Kramer-Wine, too.

The Dayton native returned home to Cincinnati around 13 years ago and decided he wanted to enter the brewery industry. Thanks to the work of some mutual friends, Kramer-Wine met Bryant Goulding, one of Rhinegeist's co-founders. He was invited to run the brewery's distribution ahead of Rhinegeist's 2013 opening.

"I wanted to get into the industry (and) open my own brewery and then Rhinegeist came along and it was fantastic. There was no need (for me) to go out and reinvent the wheel," Kramer-Wine said.

Though getting Rhinegeist's distribution system on its feet made him happy for a long time, Kramer-Wine eventually decided to leave Rhinegeist in 2021 and do something new.

It was his turn to "reinvent the wheel."

The co-owners' ambitions involve combining the old with the new: embracing the historic bones of the church that once housed Taft's Ale House while breathing in new life with modern interior touches.

"The church speaks for itself ... from there (it's) about adding bright lighting, greenery and make it our own," Kramer-Wine said, adding that Mellotone will feature mid-century modern decor.

The pair is leaning heavily into the hospitality component of the project and "activating three areas in three intentional ways," Nowell explained.

The lower level of the space will be a bar called Undertone with a stage for live music. Mellotone’s restaurant will live on the main floor. The mezzanine level will become an indoor beer garden with communal seating.

By laying out the space in this way, Nowell said, they're looking to "stray away from the typical warehouse atmosphere" common in the brewery industry.

True to the classic brewery layout, the beer production space will still be on display for customers to dine next to.

Mellotone's atmosphere will convey that, "Everything is made under this roof and it happens to be a really beautiful space to spend time in," Nowell said.

Leaning into the hospitality component for Mellotone means prioritizing food offerings, Nowell said.

"We are a brewery but we are also a restaurant," she said, adding that she and Kramer-Wine brought on Brendan Martin, who previously worked with Boca Restaurant Group, to serve as director of food and hospitality.

Nowell is confident Martin's tenure at the Cincinnati culinary group makes him the perfect person for the job.

"Boca Restaurant Group has high standards of operation that match (Kramer-Wine) and I's standard for brewing," she said.

Mellotone's menu will feature elevated pub fare, taking pub staples, such as burgers and French fries, and incorporating fresh, seasonal ingredients. The restaurant will be powered by a scratch kitchen, prioritizing elements, including sauces, jams and pickled ingredients, made in-house.

"We want (the food) to be really good where people want to come back and eat over and over again," Kramer-Wine said.

The pair is hosting a sneak peek during Blink Cincinnati, taking place Thursday-Sunday, and a grand-opening in November.

From 6 p.m. to midnight each night of Blink, Mellotone will host the "Arcade of Light" interactive art installation, raising funds for Edible Ohio Valley Schoolhouse, a local nonprofit. The installation is not on the official Blink map, but can be navigated to through the unofficial Blonk guide, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) said in a press release.

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